


Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better)

by Defira



Category: Dragon Age
Genre: Circle of Magi, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-21
Updated: 2013-02-21
Packaged: 2017-11-30 00:54:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/693506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Defira/pseuds/Defira
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ella is an old hand at life in the Gallows. Alain is new, and that makes him fair game for fun. She's ten, he's thirteen, you can't really expect much better from them.</p>
<p>Squishy babby mage fic for Rabbit because she put the idea for the ship in my head in the first place. The first of several pieces, probably, and the evolving nature of their relationship as they grow from children to adults under the watchful eyes of the templars.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mygoodrabbit](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=mygoodrabbit).



Ella was ten when the new mages arrived. Starkhaven had burned, the whispers said. The Circle was gone, a smouldering ruin of ash and bone. She took comfort in the fact that Templars had died alongside the mages- it made up for the hundreds of times mage blood had coloured the stones of the towers. 

She wished the Gallows would burn down.

She sat in the back courtyard and watched as the First Enchanter escorted them about, her feet bare and filthy and a little flicker of flame jumping between her hands. It was sort of like juggling, she found, except more fun- the Templars told her she was not to use magic outside of classes, and it was fun to ignore them. When they made her stop, she liked to poke her tongue out at their backs. 

The First Enchanter was showing them about, a ragged little group with shell shocked expressions and stained robes. There was one, a boy, who lingered at the back of the pack, his movements jerky and his eyes wide with near panic. There was a smudge of dirt on his bronze face, and he kept tugging on the left sleeve of his robe. 

Their robes were rather fancy, she noticed. Far too fancy for the Gallows. They’d have to change soon if they wanted to avoid attention. 

She watched the boy curiously; he wouldn’t be that much older than her. Maybe twelve, thirteen? He looked very nervous. 

That was understandable- she’d cried for three days when they dragged her in, sobbing for her mother who would never come. 

She took hold of the little flame and hid it up her sleeve- it wouldn’t do for the First Enchanter to see her playing with magic in the open again- and clambered off the stone seat and across the courtyard. She crept up behind the group, rolling her eyes at Orsino’s reassurances of safety, and tugged on the boy’s left sleeve.

He started violently, and she nearly fell over when he spun about it in a lurch to face her. He looked so panicked that she couldn’t help but laugh, throwing her hands up to cover her mouth to stop from giggling.

His eyes fixed on her and he blinked owlishly. “Who are…?” He frowned a little, tugging on his left sleeve. It was a reflex of some sort, a nervous tic. “What do you want, little girl?”

She snorted and put her hands on her hips. “I’m not so little,” she retorted, lifting her chin. So what if he was a good four or five inches taller than her? “I’m _really_ good at magic.”

He stared, and blinked again. “You should, um…” He tugged on his sleeve. “Go play or something.”

He went to follow the rest of the mages, and she fell in beside him, skipping to keep up with his longer steps. “What was Starkhaven like?” she asked, tugging her little flame out of her sleeve and letting it play over her fingers. She wasn’t allowed to have a pet here- she really wanted a kitty- so she liked to pretend the flame was hers to love and play with. 

He glanced sideways at her, his cheeks flushing red slightly. “Go away,” he muttered under his breath, his eyes boggling when he saw the fire on her hand. 

“I heard you have princes and castles there,” she said, ignoring his objection. “Did you live in a castle? I’m Ella, by the way. What’s your name?”

“What are you _doing?_ ” he hissed, slapping both his hands at hers. “Someone will see you!” 

She pulled her flame out of reach and cast him a dismayed look. “Don’t do that! I hadn’t named him yet!”

“You can’t name magic,” he scoffed, still trying to reach her hand to smother the fire. “It’s not alive.”

“Is too!”

“Is not! That’s a dumb little kid thing to do.”

She poked her tongue at him. “You’re just jealous because you can’t do it. You’re old and I bet you can’t do magic very good at _all_.”

He went bright red. “I can too!”

“Nuh uh!”

They were alone in the courtyard by now, the older mages long since having gone, and the boy looked around nervously, tugging at his left sleeve. He licked his lips, and a devious look came into his eyes. “Okay,” he said, “watch _this!_ ”

He held up both his hands, brow furrowed in concentrate as he stared furiously at one of the dainty potted trees in the courtyard. When his hands jerked abruptly, the tree was very suddenly encased in stone, as if it were yet another statue in this labyrinth of statues.

She clapped her hands delightedly as he turned to her with a triumphant look on his face. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but she cut him off.

“How’d you do that? I don’t know that one yet.”

He drew himself up smugly, quite clearly pleased as punch at having outdone her. “Not telling,” he said, over enunciating each syllable. 

Ella poked him in the side, and he let out a high pitched squeak. “Are you at least gonna tell me your name?” she said pointedly. “I told you mine.”

He straightened his robes with great care, smoothing out the wrinkles. “I’m Alain,” he said finally, looking at her warily before holding out his hand. 

She stared at his hand, a mischievous expression coming over her face. When she went to take his hand with the one that still had the little orange flame dancing around it, he lurched backwards out of reach, his arms flailing comically.

Ella burst into a fit of giggles again, poking her tongue out cheerfully at him when he scowled at her. 

“You’re just a dumb little kid,” he said, dusting himself off. “I need to go find the others before I get in trouble again.”

“I can show you around,” she said merrily. “I know all the best hiding spots. You’re probably too big to get into them though.”

His cheeks went red again. Gosh, he blushed a lot for a boy. “I am _not_ big!” he said, stuttering slightly. 

“Come with me,” she said, ignoring his stutter and holding out her hand. “I’ll show you the best places.”

He eyed it warily, before sighing dramatically and slipping his hand into hers.


End file.
